Floreana Island

Aug 26, 2019 - National Geographic Endeavour II

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A blue-footed booby showing off its bright blue feet while scratching its head.

This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise on a new island called Floreana, also known as Charles Island. This island was home to the first colonizers of the Galapagos, and the human history here is interesting and mysterious.

We started the morning with a pre breakfast outing to Cormorant Point for flamingo and blue-footed booby sightings. The morning continued in the water with Zodiac driving around Champion Islet, while we looked for the rare Floreana mockingbird. We continued our water activities with snorkeling and glass-bottom boat rides as we observed sea turtles and many species of fish.

In the afternoon, we went back in time and sent mail at Post Office Bay, using the method that sailors have practiced since the 1700s. We ended the day with a breathtaking kayaking excursion in the afternoon, full of sea turtles, flamingos and jumping whales. It was truly another magical day in paradise!

About the Author

Most of Gianna´s memories seem to be dreams, made on flawless white sandy beaches with black lava rock contours and gorgeous turquoise ocean waters. Most of it happened while barefoot, in an enchanting place that some people regard as an ideal natural laboratory, the Galápagos Islands. For her it was home. Gianna grew up going to the beach nearly every day, snorkeling in crystal clear waters, playing with wild flowers, having sea lions steal her ice cream, observing marine iguanas, and identifying invertebrates. The latter was by no means technically accurate—she dubbed each new discovery with its own made-up scientific name. At some point during those early years, being an observer became an innate ability and she knew she wanted to be a biologist.

About the Photographer

Christian was born on the island of Isabela in the Galápagos archipelago. He grew up on a farm and had a magical childhood devoid of cars, electricity, telephones—just pure nature and playful sea lions along the beach. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to Santa Cruz Island, the economic hub of the Galápagos Islands. His father began to work in tourism and took Christian around the islands during school vacations. It was during this time that Christian learned to love and understand the real value of this unique archipelago, and he decided to devote his life to its stewardship. A lifelong passion for nature and its creatures took root in his heart, and he eventually decided to become a naturalist, which he has now been doing for 18 years now.